Knowledge of the structure and properties of geological formations may reduce the cost of drilling wells for oil and gas exploration in those formations. Measurements made in a borehole (down hole measurements) may provide this knowledge, identifying the composition, structure, properties, and distribution of material that surrounds a measurement device down hole.
Logging tools may provide measurement information directly related to geomechanical properties. Logging is the process of making measurements via sensors located downhole. Although logging is commonly performed in vertical offset wells, it may be difficult to perform in a horizontal well.
Horizontal drilling and multiple fracture treatments create fracture surface area in shale formations and promise increased production in previously inefficient wells and/or formations. At the same time, making these completions effectively has presented a significant challenge to the industry. If the focus is on reduced costs, the operator may depend on a gamma ray log as the only well log measurement acquired in a horizontal well. In these cases, wellbore specific data that are normally available for vertical wells are not available for horizontal wells. This missing data could be used to estimate wellbore characteristics such as storage, saturations, pressures, rock properties, organic carbon content, and/or mineralogy.